Limon Bars (For Trish)

This recipe posting is LONG overdue. Trish asked me for this recipe last fall, and I’ve been meaning to post it for her.

I call them Limon Bars, pronounced “Lime-un,” not “Limón.” I’m not all international and fancy like that. Well, maybe international, but not fancy. The Whole Foods Market Cookbook just called them Lemon-Lime Bars. They’re good by any name, though, especially after adding more citrus-y flavor to them.

I suspect that I doubled or tripled the citrus zest when I made it.

Ingredients

2 1/4 c. flour, divided

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 c. butter

4 eggs, beaten

2 c. granulated sugar

3 Tbsp. lemon juice (a bit more)

3 Tbsp. lime juice (a bit more)

1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (optional)

1 tsp. grated lemon zest (double or triple this!)

1 tsp. grated lime zest (double or triple this!)

1 tsp. baking powder ( DON’T double or triple this!)

powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift (mix) 2 c. flour, about half of the doubled or tripled zest, and powdered sugar together. Cut butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Press it into a 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, granulated sugar, lemon and lime juices and remaining zests for 1-2 minutes, until frothy. Sift (does anyone actually sift?) 1/4 c. flour and baking powder together and stir it into egg mixture. Pour the mixture over the baked crust and bake 20-25 minutes, or until set. Remove the bars from oven and allow them to cool. Sift additional powdered sugar over the top if you feel like it.